The number of friendly bartenders and wait staff being rorted by their employers is more than zero – too high imho. But, a new online union for Victoria has emerged to advocate for anyone who reckons they’re being mistreated in their hospo workplace, whether due to wage theft or sexual harassment or any other unfair and frankly illegal working condition.
They’re called Hospo Voice. If you work behind a bar too, or serve people food in a restaurant – essentially if you make or serve food and bevs – and you reckon you’re being exploited or mistreated by your employer but dunno what to do about it, you can ask Hospo Voice for a hand.
The union, from United Voice and the Australian Council of Trade Unions, is actually run by other hospo workers and they’re lookin’ for members – you can join for $9.99 – who want to hold employers to account for, just an example, not forking out time-and-a-half on weekends, or not responding in a timely manner to accusations of sexual harassment and bullying on their premises.
Here’s how United Voice put it:
Endemic wage theft and sexual harassment have prompted hospitality workers from bars, cafes and restaurants to come together and fight to change their industry.
Hospitality has a young, transient and casual workforce often working in small, single-site venues. These workers have often felt powerless, disposable and unable to unionise. But the internet and social media have changed the game.
United Voice released a survey of 624 workers last year which estimated 76% of hospitality employers were underpaying their staff. That’s a massive number – and it’s backed up by recent wage theft scandals, including at Bar Coluzzi and Mamak in Sydney, and Masterchef judge George Calombaris‘ The Press Club and Hellenic Republic, and Vue de Monde in Melbourne.
Hospo Voice have already put online a slew of digital tools to help you figure out if you’re being screwed over and what you can do about it, like PayChecker, Rate My Boss, Record My Hours and Harassment Diary. As in PayChecker will calculate for you if you’re being ripped off, and by how much, and Rate My Boss acts as a forum for you to give other hospo types a heads up if your employer is either a bit of a jerk or someone who treats their staff kindly and fairly. All excellent resources.
If you fancy finding out more, or you’ve got a gripe with your boss help with, check out Hospo Voice HERE.
